Page 120 of Burning Daylight
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JULIETTE
“Ican’t believe it’s been weeks since we’ve seen each other,” Felicity says, bouncing in her chair at the bar.
Grinning, I set down my purse and glance around, hiding my discomfort. “And the first place you bring me is the HillPoint?”
She beams at me. “FAFO, bitch.”
I scrunch my nose. “What the hell doesFAFOmean?”
“Fuck around and find out, Jules. Disappearing on me has consequences.”
“This is why my mother hates you.”
She rolls her eyes and waves her hand in the air, clearly unbothered. “It’s not my fault your parents are weird, uptight assholes.”
“True.” I press my lips together. “You should have asked, though. This is like…way out of my comfort zone.”
I’m telling her the truth, but I don’t really mind it. There’s a thrill vibrating just beneath my skin because there’s a chance Roman is here.
She frowns. “Well, yeah, but then you wouldn’t have come. And anyway, doesn’t Art own it now? That basically means it’s Calloway-adjacent. You’re practically on home turf.”
Can’t argue with her there.
Low lighting and deep-red booths line the perimeter, and the actual bar is long, extending the entire length of the wall on the right side just past the entrance. There are some tables scattered around in the center of the room, and a small stage at the front which I assume is for live music, although there’s nobody on it at the moment.
My back is stiff, my shoulders squared, and I’m just waiting for someone to recognize me. To treat me like a kid and tell me that I don’t belong here.
But after a few minutes, nobody does anything of the sort, and my tight muscles start to ease. I’m not naive enough to think that they don’t recognize me, but no one seems to care.
“Relax, Jules,” she says. “You look like somebody’s about to walk up and pull a knife on you.”
A pretty woman with pale skin, atonof freckles, and gorgeous red hair pulled high on her head comes over and rests her elbows on the bar. “What’ll it be?”
Her jade-green eyes meet mine and widen just a little, but she doesn’t say anything.
She’sstunninglygorgeous, and I think she’s new in town. At least, I’ve never seen her before.
“Grey Goose martini, extra dirty.”
“Oooh, fancy, I’ll have the same,” Felicity says. “Actually, no, you know what? I’ll have a Long Island.”
I make a face.
“Don’teven get me started. Need I remind you of spring break, freshman year? When I had to scrape you off the bathroom floor and hold your hair while you christened the hotel toilet and cried about letting down your parents?”
“God, please don’t.” My stomach rolls at the memory.
“Either of you want food?” the bartender asks.
Felicity tilts her head at the girl. “What’s your name?”
“Ginny,” she says with a wink. “Nice to meet you.” Then she jerks her chin at me. “Your brother know you’re here?”
I rear back, surprised at her line of questioning and more than a little put off by the fact she thinks she has the right to ask me that at all.
“Which one?”
